Banks Push Bigger Down Payments

• Developments

  

  WSJ's Nick Timiraos Takes Your Questions on the Future of Fannie and Freddie

  WSJ real estate reporter Nick Timiraos will field questions from readers about the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in a live chat on Thursday, February 17 at noon, ET. Ask your questions now.

• SmartMoney

  

  Retirement Advice: What You Get for Free

  Financial firms are offering more free classes and consultations about retirement planning. Are they worth it or are you just getting the hard sell to sign on?

• Subscriber Content Read Preview

  Business

  Report: Credit-Card Law Benefits Consumers

  A landmark credit-card law has made billions of dollars in charges more transparent for consumers, which should help lower costs over the long-term, according to a new report.

• Scene Asia

  

  Walking-Away Money: What's Your Number?

  How much would you need to walk away from a job and say, I have achieved enough? What's your number?

• SmartMoney

  

  Save $500 on Your Cellphone This Year

  Smartphone owners use their phones for much more than talking. But all those extras can get pricey. A host of new apps make it possible to scale back voice and texting plans.

  • Gadget Buy-Back: What You Need to Know

• Weekend Investor

  

  Banking's Customer Courtship

  Historically low interest rates, tough new capital requirements and heightened competition from brokerage firms are prompting banks to dangle juicy incentives to depositors.

• Commodities

  

  Wall Street Missed Out on Commodities

  Gold, copper and cotton hit record highs in 2010, and investors piled into the market. But Wall Street's revenue from the market fell by an average of about 40%, according to bankers familiar with the results.

  • Commodities Watch

Investing

• Investing

  

  How Long Will the Gold Rush Last?

  Though gold's price has tapered off lately, as recently as January it was hitting record highs, prompting everyone from hedge-fund managers to barbers to talk about the yellow stuff.

• Common Sense

  

  Is the NYSE Sale Cause for Worry?

  Why the potential takeover of a venerated symbol of American capitalism isn't really a bad thing.

• Common Sense

  Why Fighting the NYSE Merger Is Fruitless

  

  SmartMoney: James Stewart says preserving the past through protectionism is a doomed effort.

  • ROI: What the NYSE Merger Means to You
  • Germans in Talks to Buy Big Board

• The Intelligent Investor

  Ominous Undertone of Stock Rallies

• Weekend Investor

  New Ways To Gauge ETF Costs

Family Finances

• SmartMoney

  Travel Apps Redefine Last-Minute Trips

  

  Forget booking months in advance. With the latest mobile apps, today's travel commitment-phobes are redefining last-minute trips.

• Getting Going

  Latest Credit-Score Fixes Fall Short

  More consumers than ever this year will see how their credit scores are used to determine their interest rates and insurance payments. But that may itself lead to more confusion.

• SmartMoney

  

  Why You Should Buy That Home Now

  The president's proposals for revamping the mortgage industry will make home loans costlier.

  • Fannie, Freddie Phaseout Proposed
  • Fannie and Freddie: The Saga in Charts

• The End of Prepaid Tuition Plans?

The Bond Market

• SmartMoney

  

  Do You Still Need Bonds?

  Conventional wisdom says yes, but a growing number of advisers say no -- for now.

  • Three Investments to Avoid Now

• Five Signs the Bond Bubble Is Breaking

  

  Here's what investing pros are watching for in terms of interest rates and inflation, the housing market and municipal bankruptcies.

  • Bond Market Flashes Inflation Warning
  • Why Muni Bond Fears Are Overblown